01 First things first

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is a strategic approach to developing, managing, and improving products from conception to disposal—a way of dealing with the different stages across a product lifecycle. However, it can also be a piece of software (or system) that helps manufacturing organizations and Engineering-to-Order (ETO) companies efficiently work through these different stages.

By blending existing procedures and processes with individual expertise and innovative technology, PLM software like Siemens Teamcenter provides a framework that enhances product quality, reduces costs, and accelerates time to market. Product Lifecycle Management software offers a single platform for all product data and related processes. This single source of truth makes it easier for stakeholders to find the most up-to-date information, allowing them to make the right decisions more quickly and efficiently.

02 The stages of PLM

What, when, and why?

From a manufacturing and ETO perspective, Product Lifecycle Management can be divided into five main stages: Conception, Design and Engineering, Manufacturing, Commissioning, and Decommissioning.

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03 The benefits of PLM

How can PLM help?

The benefits of Product Lifecycle Management for manufacturing aren’t just linked to transparency and timekeeping. Clear protocols facilitated by comprehensive PLM software like Siemens Teamcenter increase the likelihood of creating better-quality products, fewer errors, and greater cost savings thanks to more efficient production processes.

In short, PLM software is crucial for both custom ETO requests and mass-produced products.

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04 The key components of PLM software

Optimizing the PLM value chain

PLM software streamlines the way different manufacturing companies and specific stakeholders can access data. This is done by integrating tools and features to optimize the overall management of a product. Some tools, such as CAD software, are used heavily at specific stages, whereas key components like document management make up the backbone of a PLM system’s overall offering.

Siemens Teamcenter offers a multitude of tools and components that make PLM a no-brainer for manufacturers looking to scale and optimize their business processes without losing track of the original vision for the brand and products.

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05 Picking a PLM implementation partner

Ask yourself the right questions

Picking a PLM partner is the first step to increased efficiency, smoother processes, and better data management. However, to ensure your business's needs are met now and in the future, it's worth considering a few things.

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06 Digital transformation with CLEVR

Product Lifecycle Management in action

Siemens Teamcenter is a comprehensive PLM software suite offering extensive capabilities for managing product data and processes across the entire product lifecycle.

We chose to partner with Siemens because of Teamcenter’s collection of tools and integrations, as well as its overall usability.

Nel Hydrogen recently partnered with CLEVR to significantly enhance its product development capabilities. By leveraging Siemens Teamcenter, CLEVR is implementing a comprehensive PLM solution that streamlines data management and helps automate engineering processes. The collaboration is ongoing, with a view to expanding the scope of this initial project.

Our expertise in digital transformation and PLM is what sets us apart from other solution partners. We combine extensive industry knowledge with digitalization expertise to implement tailor-made Siemens Teamcenter solutions that automate and streamline product lifecycle processes.

Even as your company scales and adapts to new challenges, your processes remain flexible and robust. Let CLEVR guide you through today’s bold decisions for greater peace of mind.

Conception

During the ideation phase, competitive analyses help identify market gaps and customers’ unserved needs. This information is used to conceptualize the product, creating a solid foundation for the subsequent PLM stages and decision-making processes.

Automotive manufacturers may, for instance, conduct a competitive analysis to identify gaps in the market for electric trucks, conceptualizing a new model that meets specific urban delivery service needs.

Manufacturing

From a mass manufacturing perspective, this stage starts with a validated, market-ready product resulting from iterative feedback rounds during development. Once the production process is established, it’s time to scale. Planning, executing, and monitoring the scaled production process involves supply chain management and quality control.

ETO companies usually have a single manufacturing process and only one chance to get an order right. Therefore, this stage depends heavily on accurate information from the Design and Engineering, facilitated by efficient PLM software that gets the right information to the right people at the right time.

Commissioning

For mass manufacturers, this stage consists mainly of introducing the product to the market, distribution, sales, and support. Successful product launches require these aspects to be aligned from the start.

In an ETO context, commissioning involves customizing a product's delivery, installation, and support. Successfully deploying bespoke products requires careful logistics coordination, detailed installation procedures, and tailored customer support.

Managing product effectivity—acquiring spare parts and documentation for a specific product version—is also crucial here.

PLM software helps manage these complex processes by providing precise, up-to-date information to all stakeholders. For example, in an ETO machinery project, PLM ensures that engineering details, installation guides, and support documentation are all aligned, allowing for a smooth transition from production to customer site setup and ongoing support.

Decommissioning

Product decommissioning involves Product Managers, Environmental Compliance personnel, and logistics teams. Retirement isn’t just stopping production—effective communication with customers and suppliers is crucial. A tech company may need to plan for disposing of, recycling, or remanufacturing obsolete laptops, ensuring the remaining stock is sold off or used for spare parts. Letting the right people know exactly how these processes should be expected to work is almost as important as the procedures themselves.

For ETO companies, decommissioning involves carefully planning the phase-out of custom products and ensuring clients are supported throughout the process.

Enhanced product quality

PLM software creates a single source of truth for all product data, giving (authorized) departments and stakeholders access to the latest information. This comprehensive data management reduces errors resulting from miscommunication or outdated information.

PLM software also supports extensive testing and validation processes, which helps manufacturers identify issues early in the development cycle.

Reduced time to market

PLM software streamlines a product’s development stage by automating workflows and improving communication among teams. Reducing the time spent on administration speeds up decision-making and helps avoid human errors often caused by repetitive, manual tasks.

Enhanced data management and collaboration also improve the efficiency of the earlier lifecycle stages, which leads to quicker market introductions.

Better data management and collaboration

A centralized PLM system ensures that all product data is easily accessible to those who need it, such as marketers creating assets or campaign messages and after-sales personnel creating training assets for customer support staff. This improves data accuracy and consistency, enabling more informed decision-making. PLM software allows and encourages departments to share information in real time, which reduces information silos and keeps everyone on the same page with the most up-to-date information. 

Cost savings across the product lifecycle

PLM software helps companies avoid inefficient practices that often clog up business processes. This helps reduce costs associated with product development, manufacturing, and maintenance. It also supports better resource management and reduces the need for costly reworks.  

An overview of the production process, including governance and control of automated machinery, lets companies spot material waste and identify ways to optimize production schedules. This reduces manufacturing costs linked to energy consumption and raw materials, which minimizes the environmental impact of a company’s operations. Siemens Teamcenter offers a Carbon Footprint Calculator to help companies assess their decisions as they look to strike a balance between environmental impact, cost reduction, and meeting customer demands. 

Integration and connectivity

Siemens Teamcenter offers extensive integration capabilities with real-time data access for better collaboration. This ensures that all departments and stakeholders across the product lifecycle are on the same page. This is crucial for ETO manufacturers and larger organizations aiming to streamline operations, maintain product quality, and scale effectively.

Good PLM software should seamlessly integrate with various enterprise systems and authoring tools, ensuring cohesive product data management throughout its lifecycle. This means creating a seamless flow of information by connecting Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems, Computer-Aided Design (CAD) tools, and document management software.

Computer-aided design (CAD)

CAD software is essential for creating precise 2D and 3D models, allowing engineers and designers to visualize and iterate on product designs. In PLM, CAD integrates design data with other lifecycle processes, ensuring that all design changes are tracked and managed efficiently. As you’d imagine, CAD software is heavily involved in the conception stage of a product’s lifecycle. So is Product Data Management. 

Product Data Management (PDM)

PDM centralizes all product-related data—which often changes—ensuring accessibility, accuracy, and security. This invariably improves collaboration and decision-making. Within PLM, PDM manages the lifecycle of product data, including version control and access permissions, ensuring that the latest information is available to the right people. 

Bill of Materials (BOM)

A bill of materials (BOM) lists all materials, parts, and assembly configurations required to manufacture a product, which makes it a key feature of the development stage. A BOM represents the product structure in a hierarchical format that clearly presents the relationship between certain components and assemblies. Depending on the product and industry, a BOM can range from a simple, single-level structure to a multi-level structure with specific manufacturing, engineering, and customization guidance.

Like PDM systems, BOM systems track changes. This means that any requested changes to a BOM are documented and sent for approval. A BOM can also include tools to analyze the cost of materials and components. Having an exhaustive and holistic view of the costs will help manufacturers with budgeting forecasts, general cost management, and reporting.

Engineering change management

Engineering Change Management is the tracking, controlling, and approving of changes to product designs and processes. During the development stage, Engineering Change Management helps stakeholders assess the impact of proposed changes on existing designs and processes. It also records modifications, which is vital with the rapid development of a product often containing so many iterations—some of which may need to be revisited for another assessment. 

Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM)

CAM software automates manufacturing by converting CAD models into machine instructions, enhancing production precision and efficiency. In PLM software, CAM ensures that manufacturing data is consistent with design data, reducing errors and streamlining the transitions between the design, development, and production stages. 

Supply Chain Management (SCM)

SCM tools are used in the launch and production phase to manage the flow of goods, information, and finances related to a product. In PLM, SCM ensures that supply chain activities are aligned with product development and production schedules, which improves efficiency and reduces costs. 

Document management

This process comprises organizing and managing all documents related to a product’s entire lifecycle. This can include items ranging from compliance records to product brochures. Having the necessary documents in easy-to-find places is key when companies are posed with compliance questions from external regulators. This component is often a feature of the end-of-life phase when companies look to “close the loop” of an existing product, ensuring that it has been produced, distributed, and discontinued in a manner that complies with any number of (changing) regulations.

Compliance and regulatory management

Maintaining a database of the regulations and standards applicable to a product is critical for keeping stakeholders informed on the latest regulatory developments. Sudden changes can result in product non-compliance, which invariably leads to fines and can negatively impact publicity and trust. 

This key component provides the tools to track compliance throughout a product’s lifecycle, which helps generate reports needed for regulatory submissions. Audits can often be lengthy and nerve-wracking for companies. So, having an automated process in place to ensure products meet safety and quality standards can help avoid surprises when regulators are sifting through documentation. 

Do they provide an end-to-end solution?

Ensure the PLM partner you choose will handle the entire product lifecycle. Those that appear only at certain stages and offer support reactively may struggle to produce the most efficient results for your business.

Are they innovative?

It's good to consider how and if your potential PLM partner embraces new technology. Some tried-and-tested methods are all well and good, but partners that embrace the power of low-code with novel PLM systems like Siemens Teamcenter could provide the spark you need to bring your product processes to the next level.

Do they have the right expertise?

Verifying the expertise of those you're considering to partner with is crucial. How experienced are they when it comes to implementing PLM solutions? Do they have the right connections and partnerships with software providers?

Will they be the right fit for your industry?

Look for partners that offer insights into the PLM space and your specific industry.

Like any good PLM system, an implementation partner should be proactive and have an appreciation for moving digital transformation technology forward across all sectors.

Will they provide you with reliable support?

Ensure your PLM partner will offer support at every stage of the implementation process, focusing on the needs of your business with effective solutions that last.

What about the future?

A good PLM implementation partner shouldn't just ensure your solutions and processes work now. Be certain your partner will create a clear, bespoke PLM roadmap that looks years into the future. If they're focused on the here and now without considering the potential twists and turns within your business and industry, you could be in for some nasty surprises.

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/Blog

The Future of Low Code Development: 5 Must-Knows for CIOs and Product Teams

Published on Jul 10, 2025
min read
Blog

While low code has long been considered a niche product for citizen developers or basic apps, that’s no longer the case. It now plays a key role in enterprise-grade IT stacks and is critical in achieving an agile, scalable digital ecosystem. 

In fact, chief information officers (CIOs), chief technology officers (CTOs), and product leads who fail to understand the role of low code as a strategic tool in their technological arsenals may find their businesses falling behind competitors and struggling to innovate.

Low code is only going to get more powerful from here, so now is the time to prepare. In this guide, we’ll take a closer look at the low code development future and offer five essential insights to future-proof your company’s approach to digitization.

Short on Time? Here Are CLEVR’s 5 Predictions for the Future of Low Code

  1. Low code will increasingly be used to build mission-critical enterprise software.
  2. App development will be driven by fusion teams that include business and IT users working side by side.
  3. Strong governance frameworks will be crucial to ensuring that low code is used effectively.
  4. The most significant impacts of low code will come from integrations with existing enterprise systems.
  5. Low code will transform product roadmaps and enable faster, more iterative delivery cycles.

5 Predictions for the Low Code Development Future

1. Low code is now enterprise-grade. And will continue scaling fast

Low code started as a tool citizen developers and non-technical teams used to build relatively basic software. However, over the past few years, low code capabilities have grown dramatically. Now, it’s increasingly being used to build robust, complex platforms and mission-critical apps at the center of companies’ IT stacks.

Advances like native integrations for cloud platforms, such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Snowflake, have significantly increased the scalability of low code platforms. It’s now possible, for example, to build a customer-facing app in Mendix low code and host it on an AWS cloud server to meet unlimited digital demand. 

At the same time, performance improvements and a wider range of ready-made, secure integrations have made low code a better fit for existing enterprise-grade systems. Low code apps can plug in seamlessly wherever you need them, instead of requiring custom development to connect them to your company’s other software.

CLEVR predicts that in the coming years, enterprise-ready capabilities of low code will encourage more companies across more industries to adopt this technology. That, in turn, could fuel new use cases, new integrations, and more widespread proof that low code is built to scale—kicking off a flywheel of even more adoption and more investment in this space.

2. Fusion teams will be the face of app development

One of the big advantages of low code is that it enables an entirely new model of collaboration: fusion teams that include both business-side and IT-side users working together to build software. 

Fusion teams are more agile since they allow business and IT users to prototype, build, and iterate in a single software platform. The result is faster product delivery with greater relevance to problems that business users and customers actually face. 

IT users, meanwhile, can delegate certain aspects of software design and development, reducing technical debt. Fusion teams also promise to be more innovative by bringing together distinct perspectives and incorporating feedback from both business and IT users. 

CLEVR predicts fusion teams will be as popular in the near future as agile workflows are today. Companies need to prepare for this today by breaking down traditional department silos and building frameworks for product leads, business analysts, and developers to work collaboratively.

3. Governance and security can’t be afterthoughts

While low code’s potential to enable fast development is exciting, it will also bring challenges. One of the chief challenges enterprises will face is governance—controlling who can access low code tools, how low code apps are overseen and audited, and how software lifecycles are managed. 

In the absence of strong governance measures, it can be easy for companies to see many overlapping or single-purpose apps designed by different development teams. These “shadow” apps can also present security and compliance issues, particularly in regulated industries such as finance or healthcare.

The solution is to ensure your company has governance and security models in place proactively, before low code tools are rolled out widely to your workforce. In other words, governance and security need to be built into all low code products your company creates.

4. Integration will be the key to real impact

Low code platforms are great for designing standalone software, but their real impact comes when they’re connected to your business’s core systems. For instance, you can integrate low code into enterprise resource planning (ERP) and customer relationship management (CRM) software and existing databases. 

Integration enables your company to use low code to extend and customize enterprise platforms, build new user interfaces for outdated systems, incorporate AI analysis pipelines, and much more.

Looking ahead, CIOs and CTOs will need to prioritize strategies that support integration. For example, application programming interfaces (APIs), middleware, and data synchronization pipelines all help connect data across enterprise systems, setting the stage for low code development. By building up integration capabilities now, your company will be able to implement low code more quickly and realize its full benefits.

5. Low code will redefine product roadmaps and innovation cycles

Lastly, CLEVR predicts low code will blur traditional lines within enterprise companies. 

Product managers won’t just define requirements for new digital products and services—they’ll also be expected to co-own digital delivery alongside professional developers. At the same time, the distinction between internal apps and customer-facing apps may fade, as low code supports both and unlocks more customizability in user access management.

More broadly, business leaders should expect faster prototyping and a shift to iterative product development combined with continuous feedback loops. Low code is a major enabler of agile workflows, so companies need to be prepared to adopt an agile approach for product delivery and innovation.

How to Prepare Your Organization for the Low Code Future

CIOs, CTOs, and product leads need to start preparing for the future of low code to stay ahead. Here are four key changes you can make today:

Create a low code center of excellence

Establishing a working group on low code that includes business leaders, product managers, and developers can help set the stage for future implementation and scalability. 

Within this center of excellence, you and your team members can discuss opportunities for low code deployment, create governance guidelines, and develop resources for employee training.

Invest in training

Training both technical and non-technical users on how to use low code tools effectively is essential. Training not only provides employees with the skills they need to use low code and adhere to governance requirements, but also helps break down resistance to change.

Build standards and guardrails that scale

You can start planning for low code governance now by instituting scalable processes and approval workflows for development. Make sure these workflows are applicable to cross-functional teams that include both business and IT collaborators.

Encourage a culture of experimentation

A major advantage of low code is that it enables faster, more iterative development cycles. Adopting agile workflows within your organization now can prepare your workforce to rapidly iterate with low code tools in the future.

How CLEVR Helps CIOs and Product Teams Lead the Way

CLEVR serves as a strategic partner for enterprise-scale companies interested in adopting low code. The company offers tailored consulting, technical expertise, and implementation support to help your business identify and act on opportunities for low code development.

CLEVR has real-world experience and proven outcomes across industries, including manufacturing, finance, the public sector, and healthcare.

Learn more about CLEVR’s low code solutions to find out how it can help your company scale securely and drive innovation across teams.

The Future Is Fast, Collaborative, and Low Code-Powered

Low code is a strategic enabler that helps enterprise companies be more agile and innovative—and the future of low code looks bright. 

Organizations that embrace low code now will outpace competitors in speed, adaptability, and customer focus, giving them a serious advantage. To prepare for a low code-powered future, CIOs, CTOs, and product leaders should start evolving their mindsets, team structures, and governance today. 

Ready to get started? Check out CLEVR’s guide to the best low code platforms.

Research Methodology

This guide is based on insights from CIOs, CTOs, product leads, and IT professionals currently using low code platforms in enterprise settings. It also draws on industry reports of low code trends and surveys of business leaders regarding their future expectations for low code.

July 10, 2025 8:31 PM
/Blog Low Code

How Digital Workflow Automation With Low Code Can Eliminate Operational Bottlenecks

Published on Jul 10, 2025
min read
Blog
Low Code

Manual processes hinder operations—paper forms shuttle between departments, approvals take days to complete, and data is often re-entered repeatedly across disconnected systems. Despite ongoing digital transformation efforts, operational bottlenecks persist in most organizations, wasting employee time, causing human error, and preventing quick responses to market changes.

Low code digital workflow automation offers a solution: empowering business teams to digitize their processes while maintaining proper IT governance and security.

Short on Time? Here's a Brief Overview

  • Traditional automation approaches fail due to lengthy development cycles, rigid tools, and growing IT backlogs.
  • Low code platforms enable up to 10x faster workflow automation without extensive programming.
  • Business users can digitize their own processes while IT maintains governance, security, and system integration.
  • Organizations see immediate benefits, including reduced manual tasks, fewer errors, and greater operational transparency.

What Is Digital Workflow Automation?

Digital workflow automation transforms manual, paper-based processes into streamlined digital systems that automatically move work forward. Instead of employees manually routing information or updating spreadsheets, automated workflows handle these steps based on predefined rules.

For example, paper forms get replaced with digital versions that people fill out online. Then, instead of someone physically carrying that form to the next person, the system automatically sends it to whoever needs to see it next. The data from those forms is sent directly into your systems without requiring anyone to re-enter it.

Modern automation covers everything from simple approvals to complex cross-departmental workflows. Common examples include purchase requisitions, employee onboarding, contract reviews, and field service management.

Effective workflow automation eliminates bottlenecks by standardizing processes, ensuring consistent execution, and providing visibility into work status at any moment.

Why Traditional Automation Often Falls Short

Organizations often find workflow automation a challenge for several reasons.

1. Development resource constraints

Custom-built solutions require extensive development resources and specialized skills. Even mid-sized automation projects can take months to implement, with costs exceeding initial estimates. Once built, these custom applications demand ongoing maintenance, further straining IT resources.

2. Inflexible off-the-shelf software

Pre-packaged software often proves too rigid for unique business processes. Organizations face an uncomfortable choice: either alter their processes to fit the software or invest in expensive customizations that may break with each vendor update.

3. Growing IT bottlenecks

According to Gartner research, application development teams can’t keep up with business demands for new applications. With limited developer resources and changing priorities, business-critical workflow improvements languish in backlogs for months or years.

Troublingly, frustrated business units often end up implementing unauthorized tools that create security risks and complicate your internal technology further.

The Low Code Advantage: Automating Workflows Without the Wait

Low code platforms change the automation equation by providing visual development tools that reduce the technical skills needed to create workflow applications.

Visual process design

Low code platforms offer intuitive interfaces where processes can be modeled visually, similar to creating a flowchart, rather than needing to write code. This means that business analysts and process owners, who understand the workflows best, can now contribute directly to automation efforts.

Accelerated development

Low code development accelerates application delivery compared to traditional methods because people can build workflows by dragging and dropping pre-built components instead of writing thousands of lines of code from scratch. What might take months with conventional development can be accomplished in weeks or even days.

Rapid iteration

When requirements change, non-technical people can often make those changes themselves by simply adjusting the workflow in a visual editor, like rearranging a flowchart. There's no need to call in developers to rewrite complex code every time.

Common Bottlenecks Solved With Low Code Automation

Low code workflow automation addresses operational bottlenecks across multiple business functions.

Financial process optimization

Finance departments can streamline purchase approvals, invoice processing, and expense management through automated workflows. CED, a European claims management specialist, implemented an Automatic Damage Settlement Platform using low code that cut claim handling time by 50%, eliminating a previously paper-heavy process.

HR process acceleration

Human Resources teams can eliminate onboarding delays by automating document collection, system provisioning, and training assignments. When new employees join, the workflow automatically triggers the right tasks for IT, facilities, and department managers.

Field service coordination

Field service operations often benefit from digital coordination of schedules, work orders, and status updates. Eneco, a Dutch energy company, developed a scheduling application called Splash that reduced failed service visits from 40% to just 2%-5% by automating appointment management and route planning.

Cross-functional workflow management

Complex workflows spanning multiple departments—like product launches, regulatory compliance reporting, or customer onboarding—benefit most dramatically from automation. With proper visibility and clear handoffs, these cross-functional processes no longer stall during team transitions.

The Key Benefits of Low Code Workflow Automation

Organizations implementing low code workflow automation gain several advantages over manual processes.

1. Dramatic speed improvements

Process speed increases when automation eliminates waiting time between steps. Tasks that previously took days can be completed in hours or minutes. Purchase approvals that once required physical signatures now progress automatically based on simple rules, such as “anything under $1,000 receives automatic approval” or “expense reports are routed to the department manager first, then to finance.”

2. Enhanced operational visibility

Automated workflows provide process status visibility in real time. Managers identify bottlenecks as they emerge rather than discovering problems after deadlines pass. This visibility extends to compliance requirements, with every action automatically documented.

3. Reduced error rates

Manual data entry causes numerous mistakes, from transposed numbers to inconsistent formatting. Automated workflows enforce data quality through validation rules and eliminate redundant entry by sharing information across connected systems.

4. Improved employee experience

Employees spend less time on repetitive tasks and more time on meaningful work requiring human judgment. By automating routine activities, organizations free up talent to focus on innovation and customer experience.

5. Greater operational flexibility

Workflows become easier to modify in response to changing conditions. When new regulations require additional documentation or market shifts demand faster responses, low code platforms allow rapid process adaptation without lengthy development cycles.

Governance & Integration: Making It Work at Scale

While low code platforms democratize application development, successful implementation requires proper governance and an integration strategy.

Balanced IT oversight

IT involvement remains essential for platform selection, security configuration, and system integration. Effective organizations establish clear guidelines about which processes business users can automate independently and which require IT oversight.

Seamless system integration

Modern low code platforms provide connectors to common enterprise applications like SAP, Salesforce, and Microsoft 365, along with support for standard protocols. Workflows can incorporate data from multiple systems without creating new silos.

Centers of excellence

Many organizations establish centers of excellence that bring together IT and other departments to share best practices, reusable components, and governance standards. These collaborative groups help scale automation efforts while maintaining appropriate controls.

As CLEVR's Team Lead, Robert Huisintveld points out, “Low code governance can help companies build and innovate faster while also ensuring that software is scalable and future-proof.”

CLEVR's Approach: Fast, Scalable, and Business-Aligned Automation

CLEVR helps organizations implement effective workflow automation by combining technical expertise with practical business experience. Our work begins by understanding process challenges and identifying high-impact automation opportunities.

A process-first methodology ensures automation efforts deliver meaningful outcomes rather than simply digitizing existing inefficiencies. By mapping current workflows, identifying bottlenecks, and reimagining processes before implementation, organizations achieve transformative results.

CLEVR's expertise with low code platforms enables rapid development while maintaining enterprise-grade security, scalability, and integration capabilities. The technical foundation supports both simple departmental workflows and complex, cross-functional processes that span multiple systems.

Automation That Works for Everyone

Organizations relying on manual workflows and disconnected systems struggle to match the speed and efficiency of their more automated competitors.

Low code workflow automation offers a balanced path forward—combining rapid implementation with necessary governance, security, and scalability.

For organizations with operational bottlenecks and outdated manual processes, low code platforms provide the balance of speed and control needed to move forward. The significant cost savings and efficiency gains make this particularly valuable for businesses in any industry looking to modernize their operations. 

Contact CLEVR to discuss how digital workflow automation can help eliminate your specific operational challenges.

Research Methodology

This analysis draws on documented case studies from organizations across multiple industries that have implemented low code workflow automation. We reviewed published research from Gartner, Forrester, and McKinsey to identify common challenges and success factors. 

July 10, 2025 6:17 PM
/Blog

IoT - Service with a human touch | CLEVR

Published on Jul 10, 2025
min read
Blog

1990 – H2H

Hello, this is Jim speaking, how may I help you?

Does this sound familiar?

This was in a time where people called Jim (or preferably visit him at his desk) and explained their problem to him. Jim was understandable and comforting and tried to fix the problem immediately, or otherwise created a ticket in the helpdesk system for later reference.

Discussions, reactions, emotions and explanations were used to determine the urgency of tickets and the necessity of fixing it in a certain timeframe. Human to human (H2H) interaction at his best.
Jim met (and in most circumstances knows) the person that is experiencing the problem and therefore has a “personal” connection with him or her. Therefore solving the ticket and communicating progress is a “normal” part of his work ethics.

2000 – M2H

A couple of years later, more and more automation was added to support processes in where problems were detected before customers even realized that the problem existed. Interfaces with monitoring systems allowed organizations to log tickets automatically and dispatch them to Jim. You can see this as the Machine to Human phase (M2H). From an efficiency perspective, this was a good idea, but from a customer intimacy point of view, it was not.
Although Jim is solving tickets that are logged by a monitoring system, there are actual customers behind these affected services. Since Jim does not know exactly who these customers are, he does not have a personal connection with them. He does not have the feeling he is helping a person, but more or less helps the “system”. He loses some of the purpose of resolving the issue and the chance that the solution does not fit the customers’ expectation is substantially.

TODAY – M2M

The world is rapidly transforming into an internet connected world. Devices are getting smarter, they are designed to help us, are always running and are everywhere around us. Your phone, watch, TV, laptop and TV Box are some examples of these devices, but more and more devices are launched daily. In the near future our homes, cars and bikes will become sophisticated devices. Offices, hospitals, shopping centers, movie theaters and grocery shops will have sensors, beacons and tokens to determine who you are, where you are and what you are doing (and did). And when you are not in a building, the outdoors will have sensors as well. Examples of this are automatic street lightning that turns on and off when someone approaches, find empty parking spaces in a crowded city, trash pickup when needed and crowd management, the so called “Smart Cities”.

All these devices will collect data involving their surroundings and can be used for different purposes. Also service related information will be present and is used to feed the service management tooling if something goes wrong. By triggers and actions that perform automatic restarts, are doing device resets, rollout firmware upgrades or disable certain functionality, the human factor is completely removed from the service process. Do we really think that this machine 2 machine (M2M) interaction is a good idea?

You know what… Let’s fire Jim, we don’t need him anymore.
Or do we?

At first glance, automating the service process is a good idea. The more automation you achieve, the more efficient your service process will be. But when there is customer interaction, you have to think twice. You do not only want to have the service restored as quickly and efficient as possible, but you also need to keep your customers in the loop. Who is paying for your service, the customer or the “machine”?

Meet Jim and the progression of service management

NEAR FUTURE – M2M2H

Hello, this is Jim speaking, we noticed that you had to make an emergency break with your car on route 19. Are you okay? Do you need any medical attention or are you in need of the emergency services?

Oh, it is good to hear that everything is alright. Can I assist you with anything else?

Machine to Machine to Human (M2M2H) interaction at his best.

July 10, 2025 6:17 PM

Frequently Asked Questions

1

What does PLM stand for?

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2

What are the steps in the PLM process?

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3

What is a PLM strategy?

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4

What is the difference between PLM and PDM?

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5

What is the difference between ALM and PLM?

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